Demolition work has finished on Napier and New Plymouth House, the first site in phase one of Havering Council’s 12 Estates Regeneration programme with Wates Residential.
The joint venture programme will see around 3,500 high-quality new homes delivered in Havering over the next 12 to 15 years. The £1.5bn project will seek to double the amount of council rented accommodation and more than double the number of affordable homes.
The plans for the Napier and New Plymouth House site, located in Rainham, include 126 affordable homes, with a number earmarked for families, and a further 71 homes for private sale targeted at local buyers. All residents who have been moved off the site to enable the regeneration have been guaranteed the right to return.
To accompany the project, Havering Council and Wates Residential have invested more than £1.3m in social value in the Havering community during the first phase of work on the site.
Since work began in July 2019, 72 local people have been hired or have benefitted from training initiatives in a huge boost to the Havering economy. As part of the project, over 700 Havering students have also been engaged via activities including site visits, apprenticeships and work experience placements.
Havering Council’s Director of Regeneration, Neil Stubbings, and Wates Residential’s Operations Director, Adrian Fennessy, visited the site on Thursday 27th February with Havering College Built Environment student Izzy.
Izzy is one of the students who have seen their careers kick-started through a two-week work experience placement. She said: “I’ve found it incredibly helpful so far. They’ve had me sit in on several meetings, which has helped me understand the role of a site manager.”
Cllr Damian White, Leader of Havering Council, said: “I am very excited to celebrate such an important milestone in our partnership with Wates Residential, and to acknowledge the impressive impact that our 12 Estates regeneration project has already made on our local economy.
“We have barely completed demolition on the Napier and New Plymouth site and have already seen such a significant investment into the things that matter to the borough. Seeing these figures laid out highlights the fact that regeneration is about much more than simply building new homes — we are building a legacy for future generations of local people.”
Adrian Fennessy, Operations Director for Wates Residential, said: “As we finish demolition and move towards the construction phase at Napier and New Plymouth House, it is great to be able to take time to celebrate our excellent social value record to date. We are well ahead of our targets for training, employment and investing in local people, and will use these figures as inspiration to continue our work delivering a borough-wide legacy with our partners, as well as new high quality homes.”
